Two of the U.K.s most respected scientific advisers have urged governments around the world to work together on the creation of a Sunpower Program, with the intention of delivering solar electricity that is cheaper than fossil fuel-powered electricity by 2025.
Writing in British newspaper the Observer, the scientists former government chief scientific adviser Sir David King, and economist Lord Richard Layard suggest that all countries should be invited to participate in the development of techniques aimed at a solar share of 10% of the worlds total energy supply by 2025, rising to 25% by 2030.
Their proposal follows the damning evidence laid out in last weeks Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on the effect man-made carbon emissions are likely to have on our climate. The report reiterated the widely held notion that humans must wean themselves off fossil fuel sooner rather than later in favour of clean and renewable alternatives.
While wind and nuclear power were cited as potential yet problematic solutions, the scientists see solar energy as the key source of renewable power able to meet the worlds energy needs in the future. "The sun sends energy to the earth equal to about 5,000 times our total energy needs," they wrote. "It is inconceivable that we cannot collect enough of this energy for our needs, at a reasonable cost."
To create a unified, global solution to solar energy, the scientists realize that better collaboration and understanding is required if solar power is to become a cheap and viable energy solution. Better storage and more efficient means of transmitting electricity from areas with high solar radiation and low land value to areas without such an abundance are the chief challenges, they claim.
The gathered scientists at last weeks IPCC meeting in Stockholm concluded that it is "95% certain" that human actions are responsible for climate change.
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, and since the 1950s many of the observed changes are unprecedented," said IPCC chair, Rajendra Pachauri. "The atmosphere and ocean have warmed, snow and ice have diminished, sea level has risen, and the concentration of greenhouse gases have increased."
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.